It was almost as if Cristiano Ronaldo had acknowledged Sir Alex Ferguson’s
observation that his former Manchester United charge was now a better player
than Zinedine Zidane and had decided to demonstrate that, more than that, he
might just one day be seen as the greatest player ever to wear the hallowed
white shirt of Real Madrid here at the Bernabéu.

With a performance to send a shudder through Old Trafford, yet actually only a routinely brilliant one by his ridiculous standards, the one-time Red Devil Ronaldo was now being hailed on the front pages here as “el Diablo Blanco” after reminding his old mentor Ferguson, with this wondrous hat-trick against Seville, just how he could demolish his Champions League dream here on Wednesday night.

This was his 20th for Real Madrid in 3½ seasons. That is how he has flowered as a player. “Figo, Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Raul. I don’t think any of them were as good as him,” said Ferguson. He may well be right.

The way he is going, is it feasible that only one man could end up standing above Ronaldo in the Bernabeu pantheon? Yet even the peerless Alfredo Di Stéfano — 31 Madrid hat-tricks, incidentally, and now the revered grand old man of the club — is waxing lyrical about his successor.

“Although life goes on, the rivers flow and the birds migrate,” the 86-year-old said recently, “we’ll always have the tireless Cristiano and his goals in a Real Madrid shirt.”

Yes, Ronaldo makes everyone feel poetic here. There is much to fear for Real with this United game; the mood is uncertain, the club once again riven by political division, with Jose Mourinho and key players at loggerheads and the Special One now seemingly plotting his end game. Yet Ronaldo remains the one constant, vibrant symbol of Madrid’s hope and glory

When he was substituted, with Mourinho having the luxury of resting this historical figure for half an hour after his heroics in Real’s 4-1 win, the standing, roaring acclaim of the Bernabéu told of someone now quite adored.

In contrast, the noise which greeted Mourinho’s own name before the start was a decidedly mixed bag, probably 70 per cent cheers and 30 per cent jeers.

Last month, after the Copa del Rey game here against Valencia, the two men were locked in a well-publicised dressing room shouting match which supposedly featured Mourinho barking that “in the last 15 minutes you went hiding, Cris” only for Ronaldo to snap back “I give my life for you and you are wrong to criticise me!”

If that made it sound as if Ronaldo had responded like a hurt kid, then his performances since — two subsequent hat-tricks have ensured the first own goal of his career against Granada last weekend was forgotten — have demonstrated only indignant positivity.

No wonder Mourinho, silent again after the game such are his frosty relations with the local press, at least appeared to be all smiles on the bench. He has had wars with too many of his players this season to be able to afford to lose the support of the one champion who can ensure his tumultuous reign at the Bernabéu ends in glory at Wembley.

“Cristiano is spoiling us,” enthused Raul Albiol, making Ronaldo somehow sound like the Ferrero Rocher ambassador. You knew what he meant, though.

His first goal was a thing of wonder, a step over shuffle to leave his marker Maduro rooted like a blinded statue followed by a dipping 25-yarder which scorched on the only missile path which could possibly defeat the Seville goalkeeper Beto. With his supposedly weaker left foot too.

One regular Madrid watcher explained he felt almost unmoved by the brilliance because he is so accustomed to it here.

His third goal? Galloping the length of the field from outside his own area on the break, finding Gonzalo Higuaín, and taking the return to slot home from close range. Ho hum.

Ronaldo reinjected what Albiol called “the feelgood factor” to the team here. Pepe, a key defender, was back after injury. Higuain and Karim Benzema, in harness again up front, shook off their recent sluggishness (even if Higuain did end up with a red card) and Kaka at times offered a fair impression of the orchestrator he once was.

Yet it was Ronaldo who led by example here, at one point haring back for 40 yards to recover the ball after his free kick was blocked.

“He’s scoring so many goals and playing such great games, we expect him to do so every day,” said Albiol. “We hope he can score another three on Wednesday.” Why not? We are six weeks into 2013 and he has three hat-tricks already this year. Di Stéfano has said he sees a determination and fire in Ronaldo which make him a role model, leaving others with long memories here believing they can see shades of the peerless Argentine himself in this fantastic player.

It was Jorge Valdano, the former general manager, who dubbed Ronaldo “our Di Stéfano for the 21st century” despite Di Stéfano having won five European Cups here and Ronaldo having only the one to his name at Old Trafford.

Yet game by game, nobody can say the devil is not doing his remarkable damnedest to give real credibility to the comparison.